


Fragility

by FanficFixation



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Arc Reactor, Friendship, Illness, Tony Stark Feels
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-10-15
Updated: 2015-06-20
Packaged: 2017-12-29 12:23:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,892
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1005420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FanficFixation/pseuds/FanficFixation
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Catching a cold is a minor annoyance; after all it isn't life threatening in anyway. Unless your name is Tony Stark; then you have something to worry about.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Watching Iron Man 2 inspired me to write this fic, the scene when Pepper comes into the lab with a cold sparked an idea so here it is, plus I've been suffering with cold this week.
> 
> I'm still proof reading and making changes to this but I wanted to know what you guys think; should I continue this? Let me know, enjoy!

Tony Stark couldn't help but wince internally as he exited the Heli-carrier alongside his teammates. After another long and lengthy meeting with the rather irritable director Fury, the group were finally free to leave and were currently weaving in and out of the many busy Shield agents working around them. The billionaire could barely suppress his discomfort as he brushed shoulders with complete strangers.

Usually crowds didn't bother him but the place was like a busy hive of activity, he shuddered as his ears detected the sound of coughing and sniffing, loud enough to be heard over the buzzing of machinery and chatter amongst workers; it was enough to make him cringe. Loud splutters and sneezes seemed to come from almost every direction, and Stark felt closed in. No matter where he went or how fast he walked the noise seemed to follow him and it was starting to make him feel agitated.

The mechanic strolled quickly down another long narrow corridor, leaving the rest of the team lagging behind. He was quite eager to leave the place as quickly as possible, after all he didn't want to stay in the germ infested zone longer then he had too.

Winter was on its way and it seemed that almost everyone was plagued with the common cold. A cold was nothing serious, just uncomfortable and mildly irritating, but the billionaire was determined to avoid it.

Each time someone sick passed by him he wrinkled his nose in disgust and turned his head the other way. It seemed like an eternity had passed before the group had finally set foot out of headquarters and finally boarded a jet back to the tower. The moment the doors closed for take-off Stark plucked a small bottle of hand sanitizer from his jacket pocket and squirted a generous amount into the palm of his hands before rubbing them together vigorously.

'Ughhh I feel so dirty!' he whined, shaking the excess gel from his hands.

'What's the matter, don't like interacting with us common folk?' Steve joked, taking a seat by the window.

'I swear that place has the plague! We are not going back there again; ever!' he proclaimed, sitting down in the last empty seat next to Bruce he shrugged off his jacket, 'when we get back, I'm burning all my clothes.'

'Friend Stark, what is this plague you speak of?' Thor's loud voice echoed in the small space, everyone grimaced, resisting the urge to cover their ears, 'everyone appeared to be in fine spirits!'

'You're joking right?' Tony looked at the demi god incredulously, 'Don't tell me you didn't hear everyone practically dying in there!' he exclaimed. 'I swear I heard one guy coughing up a lung!'

'Didn't have you down as a germaphobe' the physicist beside him smiled briefly before turning his attention back to the science magazine in his hands.

'I am not a –'

Suddenly the sound of a loud sneeze pierced the air, Tony jumped in surprise becoming wide eyed and alert. He ducked in his seat and reached into his pocket again for the sanitizer bottle when a loud laugh caught his attention. He looked up to see Clint Barton lounging over the back of the seat in front of him, cackling with laughter, only then did the playboy realise that it was a fake sneeze he had heard. He growled angrily when he caught sight of a smiling Romanov beside the archer; barley able to contain her own amusement.

'Oh real funny Barton,' Tony snapped, crossing his arms stubbornly he kicked the back of the assassins seat in a childish huff.

'What's the matter Stark, scared of a few little germs?' Clint wheezed between laughs.

'Only when its bird flu!' he hissed, glaring daggers at the archer, who only proceeded to laugh even harder.

Eventually Clint's laughter slowly died down, he breathed deeply for a moment before wiping a tear from his eye.

'You humans are most amusing when you jest!' Thor's laughed, twirling Mjolna in one hand.

'Pansy,' the assassin teased and began fake coughing dramatically.

'Shut up bird brain,' Stark grumbled, swatting a hand at the archers head.

'Whoa! Don't get too close, you might get infected!'

'I swear Barton, I will stick one of your arrows so far up your as-'

'Stark!' Steve scolded.

The genius gave Clint the middle finger before sighing in annoyance.

'Children, play nicely…' Bruce looked up over the rim of his glasses; although he looked stern there was a hint of amusement visible on his face.

Tony shifted in his seat to face Bruce before pulling out his Stark phone, the genius began tapping away with quick, nimble fingers, 'I build you all your own apartments and this is how you repay me.'

'I mean them-' Stark gestured towards the two shield agents, demi god and blonde super soldier, 'I understand, but you!' he pointed at Bruce, 'are supposed to be on my side!'

The physicist met the billionaires pouting look with an amused smile.

'Well I was, until there was an incident with my wardrobe last week.'

'I have no idea what you're talking about…'

'Really? All my clothes were replaced with green ones, and that had nothing to do with you?' Banner raised an eyebrow at his lab partner in disbelief.

'Didn't hear you complaining when I brought you that green shirt yesterday,' the philanthropist retorted.

'How come you never buy us clothes?' the archer asked sulkily.

'Because you guys are assholes,' he muttered.

'Better believe it princess,' Clint smirked, ruffling the billionaire's hair, Tony slapped his hands away.

'We'll see who the real princess is when I show everyone that photo…' the genius smirked.

'You wouldn't,' Barton paled, edging forward on his seat, knowing exactly which photo the man was referring too.

'Jarvis, ready the photo if you would…'

'Of course sir,' the AI's voice sounded from Tony's Stark phone, 'am I to assume you are referring to the photograph of agent Barton wearing women's clothi-'

'Shut up!' Clint yelled, flapping his arms around.

'What on earth are you talking about?' Steve raised a brow in confusion.

'Something you want to tell us Clint?' Bruce smiled slyly, amused as the archer became flustered.

'I was drunk and it was one time!'

'I am must curious to hear this tale!' the Asgardian bellowed.

'Oh god...' Natasha groaned, rubbing her hand with one hand.

'Would you like me to project the image sir?' Jarvis enquired.

'Yea-'

'No!'

Clint dived over his chair and made a grab for the phone, only to miss and dive head first into Tony's lap. They both wriggled and wrestled in the small space and soon the previous conversation was completely forgotten.

It was nearly 4am before Tony reluctantly retired to bed for the evening. He'd spent a large part of the afternoon alternating between tinkering with his suit and drinking like a fish. Bruce had thrown the towel in many hours earlier, leaving him to work alone until the early hours of the morning. It was only when the billionaire's vision began to blur and he started seeing double that he finally gave in to the need for sleep. He was unsure whether the effects were from fatigue or alcohol but he knew it would be better to throw in the towel before he had an accident, after all he'd come close to burning off his eyebrows with a blow torch.

He shut down the lab and slowly plodded down the large hallway and into the spacious elevator. When he finally reached his room he quickly discarded his shirt and pants on the floor, leaving him in just his black boxer shorts.

He climbed into his luxurious king sized bed with a sigh. The sheets were pleasantly soft and the pillows plump, but no matter how hard he tried Tony could not get comfortable. There was one thing missing from the bed that was keeping him awake at present.

Pepper.

The cold, empty spot beside him was a painful reminder that he would be sleeping alone for the next few nights. He hated it when the strawberry blonde was away on business; time seemed to go much slower in her absence. He'd grown so accustomed to sharing such intimacy with her that he found it embarrassingly difficult to sleep without her. One of the few things that allowed him to drift off into unconsciousness without being plagued by nightmares was Peppers presence alone; the feeling of her warm body pressed against his own was like a strong shield which allowed him to feel safe and comfortable.

Tony rolled over and let out a huff, as much as he craved the feeling of her soft, dainty fingers running through his hair he knew that no amount of wishful thinking would make the CEO magically appear beside him. The genius lay still for what felt like hours until eventually he began to drift off.

Just as he began to doze the playboy was aware of a prickly sensation in his throat. He tried to cough it away and felt a slight heaviness in his chest. Probably the alcohol he mused, he had no doubt he would be suffering from a hangover of sorts in the morning. He closed his eyes and drifted into an uncomfortable sleep.

When Tony Stark awoke the next morning he felt truly awful.

The moment he opened his eyes he was greeted with the unwelcoming sensation of a pounding headache. Tony had been the victim to many hangovers in his life and could honestly say that this was the worse one yet. It felt like any other aftermath of a nights drinking but with a much sharper edge and dull throb that seemed to constantly hack away at his brain. It felt like he was being punished.

The morning sunlight that poured through the windows temporarily blinded him and made his head ache unbearably. Stark rested an arm over his face to shield his delicate eyes from the light as he lay awake in bed, groaning at the aching feeling in his body. The sound of Jarvis's voice echoing loudly in the room only succeeded in reminding him just how delicate his ears were.

'Good morning sir, it currently 11am and the temperature is-'

'Mute,' he muttered tiredly, he stood from his bed and stretched out; groaning as his shoulders popped.

Boy did he feel rough.

Eventually he dragged himself over to the spacious, on suite shower attached to his apartment, where he stood under the hot cascade of water for several long minutes. When he towelled himself dry he padded over to the mirror and began running his fingers through his short hair in the mirror. He winced as he observed his complexion, he appeared slightly paler than usual and there was a certain unhealthy look about the dark smudges that rested under his eyes.

He needed a kick start to the day to get him back on his feet.

He dressed quickly, throwing on a random shirt and pair of jeans before heading towards the communal kitchen. The first thing he did when he sat down was swipe a large mug of coffee from the counter in an attempt to rid himself of the horrible feeling he was experiencing. He slumped onto the nearest kitchen stool with a sigh and rested his head in his hands.

He took a large gulp and couldn't help but be a little disappointed when the caffeine did nothing to alleviate the itchiness in his throat.

'Good morning sleeping beauty.'

The sound of Bruce's cheery voice caused him to groan pitifully; he lifted his head and squinted at the scientist, who was currently flicking through the morning paper idly, before resuming staring at the table wearily.

'Wow you look like shit.'

Before the billionaire could answer the archer with a witty response, his ear drums were almost shattered with Thor's presence.

'Good morning friends!'

Everyone responded with a mumble or mutter, except Tony who only clutched his head between his hands and whimpered pathetically.

'... little quiet please,' the playboy rasped quietly.

All heads turned in his direction.

'Are you ok?' Bruce was eyeing the billionaire with a subtle look of concern, his eyebrows furrowed slightly as he analysed his drowsy appearance. Stark quickly waved off his unease.

'Couldn't be better,' he put on a fake smile before quickly downing the rest of his coffee. Steve pushed a large stack of waffles in front of him but he pushed them away instantly, food was this last thing on his mind right now.

'You're not going to eat?' Steve asked, raising a brow as the plate was pushed away.

'I'm on a diet,' Stark waved off his comment, yawning loudly.

'Does this new diet consist of large consumptions of alcohol?' Natasha smirked knowingly, analysing his body language perfectly.

'No idea what you're talking about…'

He sat at the table for a moment longer, listening to the conversation around him; however having no desire to join in he pushed himself quickly to his feet, ignoring the stares aimed at him.

'I got stuff to work on,' he murmured, swiftly exiting the room.

He proceeded down to the lab to begin modifying the thrusters on his suit in an attempt to take his mind off the lethargy he was feeling but it did not provide a great distraction. His brain seemed to be functioning slower than normal, he could calculate the math correctly, but he found himself staring into space every few minutes; it was as if his head was filled with cotton wool.

Eventually he gave up, and threw a screwdriver to the floor in frustration. The slight tickle in his throat had increased to a burning sensation and no matter how hard he tried he couldn't concentrate on anything.

The threat of illness lingered in his mind.

He wasn't sick was he?

He couldn't be sick, after all he was Iron Man; one of earth's mightiest superheroes. Although he knew he was just probably paranoid the thought still lingered. Still he took some vitamins and painkillers, just to be safe.

Throughout the rest of the day he began to feel slowly worse, his throat became so sore it was difficult to speak and his nose felt stuffy, by mid-afternoon he was so tired he could barely keep his eyes open. He sat in his lab, reclined in an office chair with his eyes shut in an attempt to stop the pounding in his head. He was so out of it that he didn't hear the approach of oncoming footsteps, so he was surprised when felt someone touching his forehead.

'Tony?'

The unexpected noise and the feeling of cold fingers touching his skin made him jump.

'Wah?' he bolted upright, only to smack his head on something hard.

'Ow! What the-?'

He rubbed his eyes sleepily and blinked owlishly, rubbing his bruising head, only to see a curly haired figure stood above him doing the same thing. The glasses on the man and the purple button up shirt identified him as none other than Bruce Banner.

'Not gonna hulk out on me are you?' he joked lightly, his voice slightly husky; he smiled as he watched the man rub his head vigorously.

'Maybe, if you keep head butting me,' he muttered, giving the billionaire a pointed look, he continued rubbing his forehead. 'Oh god, why is your head so hard?' he moaned.

'coz its full of knowledge,' he smirked cockily.

'Well apparently knowledge hurts,' he groaned, stepping back the doctor leaned against the desk behind him, crossing his arms. He couldn't help but smile at Starks come back despite the pain he was in.

'Your fault for having cold fingers,' Stark huffed, wheezing slightly.

'I'm sorry that the temperature of my fingers doesn't meet your expectations,' Banner said sarcastically.

'Good, you should be,' Tony snorted, sitting up from his chair and groaned as he stretched out his back. 'Why were you touching me anyway?' Stark raised a brow, 'can't resist me huh?' he grinned, winking at the doctor.

Banner rolled his eyes in response.

'I know I'm completely irresistible.'

'Don't flatter yourself, I was checking your temperature; you look a little flushed,' Bruce eyed the genius with a hard stare, as if analysing him.

'Probably the light…'

'Catching forty winks were we?'

'I wasn't sleeping I was thinking,' he crossed his arms defensively.

'Oh really, thinking with your eyes closed?'

'Yeah it's this new thing, only genius's do, you should try it sometime.'

Bruce shook his head in disbelief.

'Right, well when you're finished "thinking",' Bruce uttered sarcastically, 'you should come and get some pizza before Thor eats it all, I think he was on his second box when I came down here…'

'I'll be up later, I got stuff to work on,' Tony grabbed a spanner from the table in front of him and wandered forwards a few steps before Bruce plucked it from his grip.

'Hey!'

'Tony, you've been down here for hours, you can finish this tomorrow.'

'Yes mother…'

'Tony you need to eat.'

'I will, right after I finish this…'

Bruce crossed his arms before giving the billionaire a pointed look.

'Ughh fine' Stark sighed, giving in to the man's concern.

'But I swear if-' Tony's retort was cut short as he broke into a short coughing fit; Bruce eyed the man with concern.

'You alright?'

'Couldn't be better,' He coughed again, clearing his throat, 'probably the dust, let's go' he rasped, heading for the private elevator.

The doctor followed closely behind, Tony pretended he hadn't seen the man eyeing him with concern.

Stark reassured himself it was probably just dust aggravating his throat. He coughed again into his hand, grimacing at the burning in his throat; a little cough was nothing to worry about.

Or so he thought.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Catching a cold is a minor annoyance; after all it isn't life threatening in anyway. Unless your name is Tony Stark; then you have something to worry about.
> 
>  
> 
> **Author Note**  
>  I am so surprised at the number of reviews and follows this received; I can't thank you all enough! Your reviews have persuaded me to continue this, so watch out for future updates : ) I hope this fic meets your expectations : ) I'm still proof reading so forgive any mistakes, enjoy.

Two days had passed since Tony had first acquired a faint tickle in his throat and an aching in his chest, and by now it was clear that the symptoms he currently experienced certainly were not caused by dust; but of course he kept trying to convince himself that he was just paranoid and that everything was all in his head.

He spent all his time in the lab, trying to work through the fatigue and misery he was feeling. What had started off as a slight irritating prickle had developed to a light rattle in his lungs, but the billionaire carried on as normal. He swallowed a few pills, brushed aside his worry and tried to focus on his work; tried being the key word.

The playboy constantly felt hot and feverish and found that he had no motivation to work at all despite how much he wanted too. Jarvis had altered the room temperature several times and even turned on the air conditioning but Stark felt no better for it. He could feel sweat lingering on his forehead and his shirt clung to him like a second skin, but nevertheless he continued to labour on stubbornly despite the unpleasant feeling.

The mechanic was currently lying on his back, coughing lightly whilst removing parts from an old engine; both hands firmly grasped a pair of strong wire cutters whilst an old screwdriver was gripped between his teeth. As he surveyed the tangle of wires and screws in front of him his vision slowly began to blur. It was only when Stark heard Jarvis address him that he realised he'd been staring into space.

'Sir!'

'What is it J?' the billionaire muttered, dropping his tools he sat up and rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand.

'Sir your temperature has risen to 103 °F, I must insist that you seek medical attention.'

'Not now Jarvis, kinda busy..'

'Sir I really must insi-'

'Mute.'

Stark cut off his AI's concern and sighed at in exasperation. He pushed himself upright from the hard, cold floor, steading himself on his desk he wobbled to his feet as he felt his blood rush straight to his head. He groaned at the dizzy sensation he was feeling, and reluctantly stumbled slowly towards the elevator, scuffing his trainers on the floor as his feet dragged lazily across the ground.

Perhaps he needed a quick break, just a few minutes to grab something that would reboot his system, and for that he was in need of a strong cup of coffee. To Tony, coffee was the solution to all of life's problems; second to alcohol of course. The billionaire leaned against the cool metal walls behind him and another long cough set him wincing in pain.

Maybe getting out of bed this morning hasn't been Stark's best idea.

Even after the elevator had stopped and the doors had opened he stood still for a long while, taking advantage of the coolness the metal had to offer on his warm forehead. When he eventually lifted his head away from the cold wall Tony let out a pitiful groan, the unbearable heat returned just as quickly as it had left.

He staggered out of the elevator and slowly plodded along the hallway, he squinted his eyes wearily at the bright lights that illuminated the kitchen a short distance away from him, they only succeeded in making his head ache worse.

'Jarvis dim the lights' he croaked, sighing in relief when the lights faded to little more than a dull glow.

The billionaire reached the kitchen and sighed in relief when he finally collapsed onto the nearest seat available, a stool at the island in the middle of the room. He rested his head in hands before glancing at his expensive wrist watch groggily.

20:05.

It was 8'oclock already?

'Geez, you don't look so hot,' a voice commented, offhandedly.

The genius nearly jumped out of his skin, he turn his head in the direction of the voice, when he looked up he was met with the familiar gaze of Clint Barton, who was currently poking his head out of an open vent in the ceiling.

'Jesus Christ Barton!' Stark breathed heavily, placing a hand over his heart, 'can't you make a fucking noise?!'

The archer jumped down, landing on his feet and shrugged his shoulders. The assassin swiped some drinks from the fridge before taking a seat opposite the billionaire. He placed two cans of soda on the table, sliding one in front of Tony, he frowned as he took in the worn appearance of the man slouched over the table. Tony reached out for the soda and took a small sip, sighing in relief at the pleasant sensation of the cold liquid running down his throat.

'You look like shit,' Clint spoke, eyeing the man with concern.

Stark looked up and blinked resignedly, but did not grace the assassin with an answer. Instead he took another sip of his drink, for once he was too tired to retort.

'Shouldn't you be-'

'My friends! How do you fair this late evening?!' Clint's words were cut short when a familiar, bulky blond figure entered the room, bellowing loudly.

The tone of his voice made Tony's toes curl, he dropped his can to the table and covered his ears with his hands, he swore he could feel his body shaking at the man's loud volume.

'Think you could tone is down a little point break?' He mumbled groggily. 'Before the dogs start howling…' Thor frowned at his dishevelled appearance.

'My friend, you appear most weary,' the blond now spoke in a much quieter tone.

'Relax, he's probably had too many beers,' Romanovs voice came from the doorway; Tony turned to face her and frowned for a moment before rubbing his temples.

'There aren't enough beers in the world to make living with you guys more bearable… ' he joked, his voice was croaky. His breathing hitched for a moment as he unsuccessfully tried to hold in another deep cough. Clint smirked, mistaking the sound for Stark choking on his drink.

'Careful man, wouldn't want you to choke to death or anything…'

Stark kicked the man under the table, his steel toed capped boots successfully collided with the archer's knee, causing his to swear loudly.

'Ow! Son of a-'

'I advise you not to finish that sentence Barton,' Natasha scolded, interrupting him with a glare.

'-mother duck,' he finished, wincing as he rubbed his bruising leg.

'When I die feather face, I'm gonna haunt you till you crap your pants,' Tony muttered as he rose to his feet.

'I'm so scared…' Clint joked, downing the rest of his soda.

'My friend, perhaps you in need of a great feast to replenish your energy?' the demi god took care to speak quitter this time.

'Food is your answer to everything…' Stark mumbled, wincing at the rising tightness in his chest. Maybe to god was right he mused to himself, he might feel a little better on a full stomach. When was the last time he ate anyway? He couldn't remember, probably a sign he should feed himself.

'Fine, pizza it is,' he sighed, 'but you better pick a decent movie, If I have to sit through one more chick flick or cheesy love story I'm kicking you all out.' He spoke slowly, trying to preserve the air in his lungs.

Tony picked up his empty can and steadied himself on the table as he slowly dragged himself towards to doorway, tossing the metal in the trash of his way out.

'Where are you going?' Romanov asked curiously

'To plan my haunting…' he wheezed quietly.

The assassin rolled her eyes.

'… and talk to the only other sane person living in this tower,' he finished, as he entered the elevator across the hall '… and I'm not talking about Capsicle.'

The moment the doors closed he erupted into a fit of hacking and spluttering, finally releasing then tension that had been building up in his lungs.

If he could make it through a whole movie without coughing it would be a miracle.

* * *

When Tony's coughing fit had finally subsided he stepped out of the elevator and headed down to one of the many spacious labs the tower had to offer. His footsteps echoed loudly in the deserted hallway, the only other noise that could be heard was his labored breathing.

It was no surprise that the science level of the tower was completely empty, the only two people with access to all labs were Stark himself and of course Bruce. They both had their own private labs but they were rarely ever used, access was completely restricted, allowing him and his science bro to work away to their hearts content without being disturbed.

It was ironic that Tony was about to interrupt Bruce and drag him away from his work. As the billionaire neared the sliding doors he took a deep breath and cleared his throat before punching in his security code and stepping inside. The door clicked shut behind him and Tony strode forward quietly, peering around the corner, that's when he spotted the scientist sat at his desk peering down a microscope. Stark smirked when he saw how engrossed he was in his latest project, it was time to have a little fun.

Carefully, he took tiny footsteps forward, shuffling quietly against the titled floor until he was just inches away from his lab partner. Holding his breath, he stood right behind his team mate, until he was peering over his shoulder.

'Boo,' he whispered.

The genius could barely contain his amusement when the physicist nearly jumped out of his skin. He sprung from his chair in shock and turned around sharply, his face relaxed when he saw the mechanic stood behind him.

'Tony!' he hissed, letting out a big sigh of relief, he collapsed back into his chair, holding a hand over his racing heart; 'Do you know how dangerous that is!'

'Oh man your face was priceless!' Stark grinned, his smile only widened when he saw the un-amused glare Bruce sent his way, he broke down into a fit of laughter.

'Do you have to do that every time you come in here?' Bruce sighed, 'that is not good for my stress levels Tony.'

The scientist only received a hearty laugh in response, despite his annoyance with the other man he couldn't help but crack a smile himself.

'Sorry Brucie but you were asking for it,' he wheezed between laughs.

'Tony I could have poked my eye out!' he gestured to the long blunt lense of the microscope only to received another chuckle in response.

'You're playing with fire Tony.'

'Bruce, you are about as dangerous as a marshmallow,' he mused, erupting into a deeper laughing fit as he pictured Bruce as an angry green marshmallow.

Eventually Stark's laughter subsided to a quiet chuckle; the man stepped forward and patted Bruce on the shoulder and he coughed lightly, all the laughter had really dried out his throat.

He took a step forward before pushing the doctor to one side, allowing him to peer down the microscope nosily, he squinted as he glanced down the lens and Bruce's wheelie chair skidded across the floor. The physicist didn't try to prise the billionaire away from his work; instead he let out a groan and began rubbing his forehead.

'You know, I swear I had a full head of brown hair before I met you…'

Stark shifted his attention away from the scope and back to his science partner; he sat up and tussled the man's hair roughly with his fingertips.

'Keep telling yourself that grandpa,' he snorted, he regretting the action almost instantly as he began to choke. The doctor raised a brown in surprise before frowning at the noise coming from his chest.

'That doesn't sound good,' he commented offhandedly, eyeing the billionaire with concern.

'S-nothing,' he wheezed as he continued wheezing lightly, 'dry throat or something' he croaked, shrugging of the man's concern.

'It doesn't sound like nothing,' Bruce watched the man like a hawk; he stood to his feet, 'you're not sick are you?'

'It's nothing I'm fine,' he insisted as he coughed once more, 'probably allergies or something…'

'Why don't I believe you?' Banner muttered, frowning as he pushed his chair beneath his desk.

'Well you might not believe that,' the mechanic gasped quietly as he got his breath back, '- but believe me when I say there's a pizza upstairs with your name on it.'

'Don't change the subject Tony; I know your hiding something.'

'I'm not changing the subject, I'm just saying that I brought you one of those veggie pizza's covered in rabbit food, because I know you like them so mu-,' he rambled, another cough interrupted him at the end of his sentence.

He rolled his eyes when he saw Bruce staring at him again. He could see the physicist's fingers twitching by his sides like he was itching to get out his medical bag.

'Ughh whatever, I'm hungry come on,' Stark grabbed Banner by the wrist and pulled him from the lab, ignoring the man's protests.

'Tony I'm not done yet, what about my work?'

' _You've been down here for hours, you can finish it tomorrow'_ he mimicked, grinning at the disbelief on Bruce's face. The doctor sighed as they stepped into the elevator, he couldn't take his eyes off his team mate, he was sure he looked paler than usual.

'Are you sure you're okay?' he asked, interrupting the silence. Tony turned and offered him a weak smile.

'I'm fine Bruce.'

He didn't believe the man's words for a second but he let the subject go.

'This isn't over you know, I'm watching you Tony,'

Stark grinned like a Cheshire cat as the doors closed.

'Mmm kinky,' he purred, waggling his eyebrows teasingly, successfully steering the scientist away from the previous topic of conversation.

Bruce buried his reddening face in his hands; the man never did miss an opportunity to make a situation awkward. Maybe there was nothing wrong with Tony after all.

* * *

Just half an hour later a group of superhero's found themselves gathered comfortably around one of Tony Stark's many ridiculously sized television screens. They were lounged around the room comfortably; Clint, Natasha and Steve shared a sofa whilst Tony and Bruce occupied another. Thor was currently occupying an arm chair in the corner of the room; everyone was surprised his large figure fit comfortably in such a small space.

The screen was so big, it rivaled that of a cinema's and the sound was loud enough to make the room shake, which was good news for Tony in his current state. Luckily for him everyone's attention was focused on the movie they were watching, Steve and Thor in particular were engrossed in the visual effects.

Empty pizza boxes and drinks cans littered the floor around them; Tony had eaten a measly two bites of his pizza before he decided he'd had enough. After the first bite he felt tired and slightly nauseous, he pushed his food to one side and leaned into the back into the smooth leather, trying his best to not to give in to the temptation to cough. Thor has been more than happy to devour the rest of the billionaire's food. Stark pretended not to notice the concerned looks Bruce was sending his way.

He wasn't focused on the movie at all.

He'd hope it would provide a great distraction but it did not. He felt exhausted and miserable; his eyes stared at the screen blankly, blinking every few seconds. Eventually his weariness grew and he could feel himself drifting off. He shook his head, willing himself to stay awake stubbornly but it was no use. He could feel himself slowly falling asleep, he didn't really want to sleep on the sofa but he had no energy to move himself.

His body would probably punish him for his actions in the morning when he woke with a sore back and a stiff neck. But he'd slept in rougher places, he was sure the sofa would be more comfortable then falling asleep at his desk.

He shuddered and crossed his arms tightly around himself as he suppressed another cough and tried to rid himself of the goose bumps covering his arms. The mechanic propped his head against the arm of the couch and rested his eyes, as he slipped into heavy doze he forgot about the other people in the room. The sound from the movie soon faded into a distant background noise.

Even when the movie was long over he didn't wake to the sound of amused hushed laughter and the group eventually leaving, he didn't even stir when Bruce draped a thick blanket over his shoulders.

* * *

_Everything was dark._

_He struggled on the brink of consciousness, squinting in the poor light but he could see nothing. The only thing his mind could comprehend was the sound of frantic voices, shouting in a foreign language and loud screams of pain._

_It was only when he felt a sharp burning in his throat that he realised the screaming voice was his own._

_A searing pain tore at his chest, he wriggled and squirmed in discomfort but there was something holding him still. He fidgeted, frantically trying to lift his arms and move away but a heavy weight stopped him. There were hands pushing him down and gripping him tightly, there grips bruised him. No matter how much he struggled he couldn't break free._

_There was another unbearable twinge of pain before he screamed again and everything turned black._

_The next time he opened his eyes there was still pain, but this time he was greeted with nothing but silence and the presence of a stranger in the corner of the room. He felt so heavy and numb, he tried to sit up but he felt woozy and disoriented. He vision was blurred and his head span as he lifted his head in confusion._

_He caught sight of a beaker of water on a table next to him, and reached out for the glass, desperately wanting to wet his abused throat but his limbs betrayed him. His arm swung his hand at the glass clumsily in confusion and the beaker fell to the floor._

_He slowly rolled over to reach out again but came to a stop when a painful tugging stopped him in his tracks. That was when he saw something strange out of the corner of his eye. There was a wire protruding from his bandage covered chest._

_It was attached to a car battery._

_Panic began to surge inside of him; he tore off the bloody stained bandages clumsily and tugged at the wire, only to stop when an unidentified man stepped forward._

' _I wouldn't do that if I were you,' his unfamiliar accent echoed in the small space._

_Everything after that was a blur._

_He barely had time to process anything before strong arms seized him and dragged him away to another room. His arms were pulled behind his back tightly and without warning he was thrown forward into a wall of icy coldness that took his breath away._

_When he surfaced he caught a quick glimpse of smug looking faces before he was once again submerged into the cold. He could feel the cold temperature hit his lungs, squeezing every last drop of precious oxygen out of him._

_He needed to get out, but no matter how much he struggled his head never surfaced from the water. His chest ached, he need to breath but there was no air, the man felt himself growing weaker and his body stilled as he ran out of energy._

_Just as he had succumbed to exhaustion, strong hands gripped his hair and roughly pulled him upright. He coughed and spluttered weakly trying to dispel the water sitting on his lungs when he was pushed down again. There was barely any time for him to inhale a lung full of air before he was pushed under again._

_Angry muffled shouts above him made his heart beat faster._

_His body was shivering uncontrollably from the mixture of cold, fear and adrenaline pumping through his battered body._

_There was another shout before_ _finally he was pulled from the water once more and thrown to the floor painfully, he gasped in desperation._

_He needed air._

'Sir!'

Tony gasped as he awoke shaking and sweating, his shirt clinging to his back. Clumsily pulling himself upright he coughed heavily but a weight in his chest prevented him from breathing clearly. No matter how much he hacked and coughed he couldn't draw in a deep breath, he felt too tired and heavy.

In his confusion he couldn't help but panic as he awoke disoriented. He continued to choke and scratch at his throat desperately leaving angry red marks all over his neck. He could hear Jarvis speaking but he wasn't listening, he was too busy freaking out. He pressed a hand again his chest and took a short breath of air before erupting into a fit of painful coughs, which emptied his lungs of every last breath of air. It felt like an elephant was sitting on his chest.

When his mind finally caught up with what was going on his pulse quickened dangerously and he was overcome with dread.

He couldn't breathe.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Catching a cold is a minor annoyance; after all it isn't life threatening in anyway. Unless your name is Tony Stark; then you have something to worry about.
> 
> **Authors Note**
> 
> The wait is over! Sorry for the slow update, I didn't want to post this chapter until I was completely happy with it. I really cant thank you all enough for the positive feedback. Every review, follow and fav is a real motivator for me to keep writing. Anyway, enjoy : )

Bruce Banner was thoroughly confused when he awoke in the early hours of the morning to the sound of a loud voice frantically calling his name. With a pitiful groan he lifted his head slowly from the soft pillow cushioning his head with a pitiful groan and rubbed his tired eyes before squinting around the room in confusion. He fumbled a hand around his bedside table in the dark, when he found them he put on his glasses clumsily, sliding them up his nose before glancing at the bright red numbers on the digital clock just inches away from his face.

4:05 AM.

'Dr Banner.'

Bruce was only remotely surprised when he realized that it was Jarvis's familiar voice that had been addressing him. He couldn't help but glance at the clock a second time through weary eyes just to check that he wasn't dreaming. Who on earth could want him at such an ungodly hour? The physicist had enough trouble sleeping most nights as it was. Typical, the one night he had managed to fall asleep peacefully without any difficulty and he had been disturbed from his calm slumber.

'Dr Banner, I must insist you awaken,' the AI's voice echoed in the silent room.

The scientist desperately fought the urge to bury himself deeper into the warm covers, he hoped that it wasn't another late night call from S.H.I.E.L.D asking the team to group together and save the world. A hulk out was the last thing he needed to add to his weary state.

'I'm awake...' he mumbled, rubbing his face he let out a loud yawn. If it was Tony waking him to ask for his help on another one of his projects then the doctor was certain that he would have to make a quick trip to the hulk out room.

'Doctor, Mr Stark appears to be in distress and requires urgent attention.'

Now that definitely caught the doctor's interest.

'W-what?!'

Bruce quickly sprung from his bed, clumsily detangling himself from the white bed sheets that were wrapped around his legs and threw on the nearest shirt he could find before pacing out the room, tightening his lose fitting pyjama pants as he went.

'Where is he?' Bruce asked as he stumbled into the elevator hurriedly.

'Sir is still currently residing in the entertainment suite,' Jarvis answered, 'and has been so for over five hours.'

'What's wrong? Did he have an accident?' the scientists mind became clouded with worry.

'According to my sensors Sir's heart rate appears to be extremely elevated, and has been so for approximately 6 minutes.'

'Shit,' he swore under his breath, by now he was wide awake and extremely fidget. Everything seemed to so go in slow motion, the doors were closing too slowly for his liking.

When the doors finally slid open he staggered forwards on bare feet until he spotted Tony sprawled clumsily across the end of couch, right in the same spot he had been left hours earlier.

'Tony!'

The man didn't make any move to acknowledge Bruce's presence when the doctor called his name. Stark was hunched forward in his seat, one hand gripped the arm of the couch tightly in a weak attempt to hold himself upright whilst his other hand clawed at his chest frantically. The physicist couldn't help but be alarmed at the distressed chocking noise coming from his friend's throat.

'Tony?' Even as he crouched down beside him his lab partner didn't react, his eyes remained glazed over and unfocused, he looked as if he were in a haze, his mind a million miles away. It was only when Banner rested a hand on his shoulder that he made a move.

The playboy jumped suddenly and began shuddering violently before scrambling backwards as far as the back of the couch would allow him. The way his eyes flickered in fear made the scientists gut tighten, he couldn't but feel uneasy at his friends expression, he looked as if he were in pain.

'Tony? Hey it's me,' he extended in mild reluctance, slowly reaching out and gently resting a hand on Stark's arm.

'Tony what's wrong?'

The billionaire looked up; his eyes sparkled momentarily in recognition when they landed on Bruce's face for a brief moment before he looked away and carried on panting and heaving.

'B-bru-' he only managed to garble a few syllables before wheezing again.

'Jarvis wake the others,' Bruce ordered.

'I have already done so Doctor Banner.

'Tony I need you to tell me what's-'

'What's going on?' a sharp voice called out from across the room, three other figures stumbled into sight, followed by Steve, all were wearing various nightwear looking tired and disheveled.

'I need one of you to grab my kit bag,' the doctor ordered before turning his concentration back to his suffering friend.

'Tony I need you to tell me what's wrong,' he spoke slowly, with a serious look of concern etched across his face as he watched Tony's chest rise and fall wildly.

'I - I can't-,' he gasped, a small whimper of panic escaped his throat as he heaved heavily.

'What the hell is-' the archer froze mid-sentence as he and the others caught sight of their winded team mate.

'Bruce what's going o-'

'I need my bag now!' Bruce snapped interrupting Clint.

Without another word Romanoff sprinted from the room in the direction of Bruce's lab, taking the stairs instead of the elevator; leaving the rest of the team to look on in wild confusion.

'Tony you're panicking I need you to calm down,' the physicist spoke loudly and clearly, his brows furrowed in concern when he saw how badly his friends hands were shaking.

'I can't- I can't breathe' the mechanic spluttered breathlessly, he closed his eyes as he felt his head spinning, only to open them again when he felt warm fingers touching his face.

'Hey, look at me,' Bruce tapped the side of Tony's cheek to gain his attention, the billionaire blinked up at him wearily.

'Listen, I need you to breath slowly,'

The doctor took a deep, slow exaggerated breath and nodded at Tony, urging him to follow his steady breathing pattern.

'Come on, in,-'he inhaled deeply before exhaling slowly '-and out.'

The philanthropist took a few more strangled breaths before taking a shuddering cough until finally his breathing evened out.

'Doctor, why is it that friend Stark is in such distress?' Thor's deep voice echoed loudly.

Bruce said nothing; he shifted on his knees and winced internally at the sight of the mechanics unusually pale complexion. Natasha returned breathing heavily, carrying a small, worn looking bag in her arms, she dropped it to the floor next to Banner before taking a step back to give the man some well needed room.

* * *

Tony Stark was in a confused daze.

Everything seemed a complete blur. One moment he had awoken alone, in a complete panic unable to breath; the next thing he knew there was a pair of hands touching him. He jumped in shock, but felt complete relief when he heard a familiar soothing voice.

'Tony? Hey it's me,'

It was Bruce.

This time when he felt a gentle touch on his arm he didn't shy away from it.

'Tony what's wrong?'

He turned his head to face the physicist only to quickly shut his eyes when dizziness swept over him. He opened his mouth to speak but the words wouldn't come out, it felt like they were stuck in his throat. The tightness in his chest made it difficult to produce more than a short whining noise before he began choking again.

'B-bru-'

Stark felt like he was being strangled and suffocated.

Every time his breathing hitched he screwed up his face in pain. He could feel the arc reactor sitting heavily in his chest, touching his lungs every time he coughed. The sharp, stabbing pain in his ribs made it difficult to breathe, it felt like he was a fish out of water, drowning on air.

The billionaire could see Bruce's mouth moving but the words weren't reaching his ears. He was too enveloped in fear, the only sound he could hear was his own franic heartbeat.

'I - I can't-,' he panted, struggling for breath, another whimper escaped his sore throat.

Tony couldn't stop the tremors and shakes raking through his body. His hands were shaking so hard he couldn't control them at all. He was so absorbed in the anxiety that enveloped him that he jumped in surprise when he felt a sudden tap to his cheek.

'Hey, Relax, I've got you.'

It took all of Tony's focus to copy Bruce's slow breaths and after what seemed like a long life time his breathing evened out. He collapsed against the back of the couch heavily in exhaustion, panting as if he'd just run a marathon. He was breathing but he could still feel a heaviness pushing the air from his lungs. Bruce's hand rested against his forehead and it was only when he tried to push it away he realized he was still shaking.

How pathetic he mused as he slowly regained his wits.

When he looked up briefly he noticed he was surrounded by figures.

Great, he thought as he continued wheeze forcefully. The famous Tony Stark was reduced to a pitiful, winded, shaking bag of nerves; and there was an audience there to see it.

He could hear quiet, hushed voices and Stark forced himself from his daze to listen.

'-he doesn't look so good.'

'H-he is r-right here,' he muttered breathlessly.

'No talking, just keep breathing.'

Tony might have laughed at Bruce's stern expression if it didn't feel like all the air had been punched from his lungs. The playboy took in anther shaky breath before he was plagued by another fit of coughs.

He was vaguely aware of a glass being pressed against his lips; he took a small sip of water before leaning back against the cool leather behind him and closing his tired eyes.

'Tony? Tony!'

He didn't answer the frantic voice calling his name, he was too exhausted. Instead he allowed himself to be drawn into the darkness and into the welcoming arms of sleep.

* * *

Bruce Banner frowned as he rested the back of his hand against his friends forehead, he grimaced at the tense heat he could feel radiating from him, Stark was definitely far too warm. He needed to bring his temperature down, and quickly.

'He could use some water and ice,'

Steve left quickly, leaving Clint, Natasha and Thor surrounding the two, looking weary and unsure of their next move.

The super soldier returned soon after with a glass of cold water, Natasha pressed the cup to Stark's lips whilst Bruce rummaged around in his bag for a thermometer; he placed the instrument gently into one of his ears. Tony took a small sip of liquid before pushing the glass away lazily and closing his eyes tiredly.

Every breath he took was painfully audible but Bruce wasn't concerned until the mechanic turned unusually still. He barely noticed the change until he looked up when the thermometer beeped.

103.9°F

'Tony?'

He nudged his shoulder gently but the man remained still, his head lolled uselessly against his shoulder.

'Crap!'

The group's eyes widened when Bruce swore.

'He can't stay here, we need to move him.'

Steve and Thor stepped forward and carefully lifted the man around their shoulders effortlessly.

'I'm calling Pepper, she should know about this,' Romanoff turned to leave but stopped when Jarvis's voice echoed throughout the room.

'I have already tried to connect to Miss Potts, Agent Romanoff and I'm afraid she is currently unavailable at present.'

'You should speak to Fury,' Steve called as he and Thor stepped into the lift. 'Let him know whats going on, If Stark's sick there's a good chance he caught it from someone at Shield.'

'We'll be as quick as we can.' Clint nodded as the doors closed; he followed closely after Natasha, leaving the super soldier and demi god supporting Tony's limp form in the small enclosed space. The three men became painfully aware of each breath Tony took, the silence in the small space made every noise seem twice as loud.

'Jarvis take us up to Tony's apartment,' Banner ordered, glancing at the still billionaire out of the corner of his eye, his breathing was still considerably labored.

'I have altered the thermostat in Sir's room to accommodate his current temperature rise.'

'What are his stats like?' the doctor questioned the AI as the men stepped out into Tony's large suite.

Despite their rushed pace, the three couldn't help but gawp slightly at the size of the bedroom, no-one but Pepper and Tony had entered here until now. The few small abstract paintings on the walls definitely belonged to Pepper. The cream colored walls and sleek designed furniture only succeeded in making the room look even bigger and elegant, but tastefully so. The room was undoubtedly Stark's, the holographic clock on the bedside table and huge television on one wall proved that.

'Sir appears to be suffering from a high temperature rise and elevated pulse, my system does not seem to be able to determine the exact cause, however it is likely that these symptoms are caused by a virus of some description.' The AI's voice quickly brought them back to reality, now was no time to admire the decor of Tony's room.

'Keep me updated if his temperature changes,'

Bruce dropped his worn bag down next to the bed and threw back the soft, plump duvet to give Thor and Steve space to lower him down.

'Amazing,' Thor glanced up at the ceiling in wonder, even after staying at the tower on and off he could still never get used to the presence of an AI.

'It seems like Jarvis knows everything,' Steve sounded both impressed and curious at the Jarvis's intelligence.

'Jarvis can measure Tony's vitals through the arc reactor,' the doctor mumbled as he pulled out a stethoscope and rubbed it against his jacket before pressing it to Tony's chest. The sharp whistling noise that greeted his ears was a cause for concern.

'I fear we may not be of much use to Friend Stark at this time,' the god of thunder stared down at the philanthropists unhealthy looking form solemnly.

'Is there anything we can do to help Doctor Banner?' Steve asked, his face showing grave concern.

Bruce pulled his glasses from face and stuck them into his pocket carelessly as he began to take Tony's pulse from his wrist.

'We can't really do much until we hear back from S.H.I.E.L.D,' he sighed as he stepped away from the bed. 'He needs proper medical care and a proper doctor; I'm not even fully qualified.'

'Do not underestimate yourself friend Banner,' Thor looked up at the physicist with a smile. 'I'm sure you are more suited to care for him than anyone.'

'I'm not that kind of Doctor.'

'What do you think it could be?' the super solider asked inquisitively, growing more concerned by the minute at the horrible sound coming from Tony's chest.

'It could be anything,' Bruce closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose as if he had an oncoming headache. 'Bronchitis, pleurisy, the list is endless; and the reactor makes things even more complicated.'

'You think it could be the reactor?' Steve probed, turning his attention to the blue light radiating from the billionaires shirt.

'Not the reactor itself, maybe something caused by it long term, but it's impossible to tell without any medical equipment,' the doctor continued to rub his head. '- And I don't really know anything about the reactor at all; Tony never really talks about it.'

Bruce disappeared across the room and into the en-suite bathroom for a moment before returning with a damp cloth in one hand, he handed it to Thor.

'We need to keep his temperature down,' the physicist explained, the god took it wordlessly before taking a step forward and resting the cloth on Tony's sweating forehead. He groaned quietly at the contact and furrowed his brows but he remained in a comatose state.

'Steve, I'm going to make a list, I need you to grab a few things from the pharmacy.'

The super solider nodded, looking eager to be of some use.

'What about you?'

The scientist looked back to his lab partners still form resting on the over sized bed beside them before he walked out of the room with the solider.

'I need to make a phone call.'


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

>   
> **Author's Note**  
>   
> 
> So It's been a while…. Oops.
> 
> I wrote this chapter to cover some well needed medical talk; the wait will not be as long next time, promise! Enjoy.

Bruce Banner pinched the bridge of his nose resignedly in a dismal attempt to rid himself of the feeling of an oncoming stress headache. He sighed as he glanced over at his lifeless lab partner sprawled out across a small gurney, surrounded by masses of medical apparatus and a handful doctors fussing over him incessantly.

Ever since they'd moved the billionaire to one of S.H.I.E.L.D's top medical facilities the physicist could feel the tension building inside of him. They'd barely been aboard for an hour and it almost felt as if the medical staff were deliberately trying to aggravate him. He felt like a balloon being pumped with air, stretched to its limits until it was about to burst.

'Hey, what are doing?!'

Bruce caught sight of one of the nurses hovering around the arc reactor in Tony's chest, her hands were touching it too close for comfort, and he could almost see the hidden temptation in her eyes to unscrew the object from his sternum.

'Don't touch that,' he snapped.

The woman stepped back nervously; the doctor could feel everyone else's eyes on him.

'That goes for the rest of you too,' he glared at the assortment of young doctors around him; they were too curious for their own good.

'But Dr Banner, perhaps this is the underlying source of the problem, if we could examine it-'

'No.' The doctors send him a questioning glance.

'While I am in this room no one touches the reactor, understand? Focus on getting the tests done, Tony Stark is your patient, not some sort of science experiment for you to ogle at.'

Everyone in the room nodded stiffly before continuing with their work. Banner could see the annoyance on their faces, just because he wasn't a medical doctor didn't mean he was completely clueless about medicine. After all he'd spent most of his life travelling around poorer parts of the world, his knowledge was self-taught.

The doctor may only be recognised as a trained physicist but he wasn't going to let S.H.I.E.L.D's doctor's act recklessly, not when Tony's health was declining so worryingly.

Bruce squinted at the heart rate monitor beeping away in the corner; there was still no change.

The large numbers of people in the small room were starting to make Banner nervous, too many pairs of hands fiddling with different equipment were too many for him to keep track of. He was starting to regret making the phone call to Nick Fury.

His eyes wandered over to the billionaire beside him, who lay still, pale and unmoving. The various needles and machines hooked up to him made him look so weak and vulnerable; Stark was usually so full of life, it seemed so wrong for him to look sickly, wheezing in a hospital bed. Bruce frowned as he checked his temperature again.

103.9 F.

The mechanics brow was furrowed in discomfort, it seemed impossible but he looked paler as every minute passed. Perhaps it was the white of the bed sheets illuminating his skin; or at least the physicist hoped so.

'Someone get me 30mg of Codeine, I want to see the X-Rays too.'

Bruce wasn't by any means qualified physician, but he was no stranger to illness. Fury had insisted he step back and let and let the staff do their work but he refused. He knew little about Tony Stark, but he did know how much he hated hospitals, there was no way he was going to leave him on his own in a room full of strangers.

Not until he knew exactly what was wrong with him.

'I said 30 not 60, are you trying to kill him through negligence?' he growled.

'Doctor Banner I understand your concern for your friend, but that is the recommended dose for someone experiencing chest pain and breathing difficulties,' the man frowned, 'I am a qualified practitioner I know what I'm doing.'

Bruce had to fight the urge to punch the man in the face; for a man with anger issues his patience was truly being tested.

'Well then Doctor, I suggest you re-read Mr Starks notes, because if you are as qualified as you say you are then you would know that 60mg of Codeine is an unsuitable dose for a man with an underlying heart condition,' Banner hissed.

Clenching his fists by his sides he repressed the green creeping into his vision.

'Go and do something useful like change the I.V., I don't care who's in charge around here, anything you give him gets approved by me first.'

He fought the urge to snatch the X-Ray results when they were handed to him. He pulled his glasses from his top pocket and pushed them up his face as he held the opaque photograph up to the light. He squinted at the black and white photograph, frowning when he spotted a light shadow over one of Tony's lungs.

'I want a C.T scan ready now,'

There was a loud crash as a test tube was dropped somewhere over the other side of the room causing Bruce to flinch. He was a bag of nerves; the sight of the rest of the team crowded around the transparent viewing glass did little to ease the tension. He read through Tony's vitals again, forcing himself to hold back a cry of frustration as a migraine hit him with full force.

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

It felt like hours had passed since the avengers watched Dr Banner disappear with Tony Stark behind closed doors. The group sat together in silence, slouching in uncomfortable cheap plastic chairs as they glazed idly through the frosted glass, watching staff come and go.

They all felt so helpless on the other side of the glass.

Eventually when the brown haired scientist emerged they all jumped to their feet, Steve was the first one to speak.

'Doctor Banner how is he-' the blond's words were cut short when he took in the appearance of the other man.

He remained silent as he dragged himself forwards and collapse wearily onto the nearest empty chair and leaned back against the wall. His shirt was rumpled and creased; and dark shadows rested under his eyes, he rubbed them with the back of his hands tiredly as he pocketed his glasses.

'Doctor Banner?' Natasha piped up, urging the man to speak.

'It's -' he sighed, running a hand through his dishevelled grey hair.

'It's not good.'

There was a nervous pause before he continued speaking.

'His lungs are inflamed, It's possible that he's suffering from the early stages of pneumonia.'

Barton frowned at the seriousness of his tone.

'Now you know what it is, you can cure it right?'

Bruce let out a hollow laugh that seemed to echo down the deserted corridor.

'I wish it was that simple,' he smiled wearily.

Steve stepped closer to glass, squinting at Starks unmoving form.

'Just how bad is Doctor Banner?' concern was evident in his tone.

'It's still early days; it's difficult to say,' he breathed, tapping his fingers on his knee absentmindedly as he spoke. 'Just because it looks like pneumonia doesn't mean it is, it could be any other number of things but we're still waiting for the test results to come back so I can't be sure.'

'I'll try and get hold of Pepper again, she should be here,' Natasha pushed herself from her seat, 'Call me if there are any changes.'

There was an eerie silence as the team sat huddled together, listening to Natasha's footsteps echoing down the long corridor.

'Friend Stark is a strong warrior,' the demi god's strong voice echoed in the small space, 'I know nothing of this pneumonia you speak of, but I know he is a strong man.'

'Thor's right, Starks a strong fighter, he'll pull through,' Rogers spoke with confidence, 'his chances are good right?'

'Normally most healthy people make a full recovery from pneumonia,' Bruce began, pinching the bridge of his nose 'But with Tony…'

'Afghanistan right?' Clint commented, his eyes drawn to the faint light that was barely visible through the bed sheets.

'The arc reactor complicates things,' Bruce spoke, he stood from his seat tiredly, pulling out a translucent sheet from the folder in his lap and holding it to the light; the three men crowded round to peer at the black and white X-Ray.

'Tony has a very weak immune system and we virtually have no health records to work with, the only ones we do have are after the reactor was fitted so we have nothing to compare it to; we know nothing about it or the effect it's having on Tony's body, especially now he's sick.'

'Is it possible friend Stark caught illness from one of our S.H.I.E.L.D brothers?' the demi god asked thoughtfully.

'It's a possibility, any other healthy person would just contract a cold, but his immune system can't fight it.'

'My god,' Rogers gasped, he never realised how vulnerable Tony was.

The scientist lifted a finger to trace around the photograph of Starks ribs, well what was left of them. Steve and Clint cringed at the sight of the large hole in his chest, Thor stared on in disbelief.

'I thought the reactor was keeping him alive, are you saying it could be making things worse?' Steve asked

'That's the thing I don't know, we are working in the dark here Steve, all we know is that Tony had a large portion of his ribs removed just to make the reactor fit, he's missing half of his sternum,' he emphasised, wincing at the state of his chest.

'I remember Fury showing me the report,' Barton continued to stare at the x-ray as he spoke. 'Sawing through his ribs with no anaesthetic, fuck can you imagine?' he swore, suddenly feeling nauseous.

'That sounds barbaric,' Rogers muttered, suddenly feeling helpless and angry.

Bruce tucked the X-Ray back into his folder of notes before glancing at Tony's form through the frosty glass.

'The reactors what's keeping him alive but its constricting his lungs, I-' the physicist sighed tiredly, 'I'm going to see if I can connect to Jarvis and have him talk me through the reactor while we wait for the test results, I need to understand exactly what we're dealing with here.'

'I'm sure you'll find something doc, I just wish there was something we could do to help,' Clint sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

'I'm not even a qualified doctor, I doubt I'll be any use at all,' Banner rambled and started cleaning his glasses, a habit he'd picked up when he was stressed; he was starting to crumble under the pressure. 'I mean what if I miss something or I-'

'Doctor Banner,' Steve interrupted the doctor midsentence and rested a hand on the man's shoulder reassuringly.

'You're a genius, if anyone can help Stark, it's you,'

'Cap's right,' Barton nodded in agreement.

'No pressure then…' he forced a small smile and ran a hand through his short, tussled hair.

'Have more faith in yourself Doctor,' Thor thumped him on the back.

'You guys should probably get some sleep,' Banner blinked at his wristwatch wearily.

3:35am.

'What about you doc?' Barton raised a brow at the doctors dishevelled state.

'I have things to do, besides I'm not sure I could sleep right now anyway; the other guys pretty wired,' he confessed, twitching anxiously as he watched another nurse enter Starks room.

'I'll call you when I know more,' he promised, strolling towards Tony's room.

'Don't overwork yourself,' Steve called as the physicist slipped through the clear doors, leaving the super soldier, the archer and the demi god alone.

'I'm going to talk to Fury and fill him in, I'll meet you guys back at the tower,' Steve promised, Barton and Thor nodded in understanding, watching his back as he retreated towards to opposite end of the corridor.

The remaining two took one last glance at Starks still figure, reassured to see Bruce hovering around the man's bed.

'Friend Stark will be fine, I am sure of it.'

Clint sighed as they turned and made their way into the elevator, leaving their sick teammate behind.

'I hope your right.'

* * *

The first thing that Tony became aware of as he lifted slowly from the depths of sleep was an uncomfortable tightness is his chest. He let out a groan of discomfort, wincing at the scratchiness in his throat.

His throat tickled with the urge to cough but he simply couldn't find the energy, instead he lay still, wheezing small lungful's of air and trying to ignore the unpleasant feeling of sweat on his brow.

'Tony?'

The billionaire opened his eyes only to close them again as they were assaulted by a bright light. He squinted heavily, trying to make sense of the blurred shapes and noises around him.

Everything was a horrible shade of white and too bright for his delicate senses.

'Tony can you hear me?'

Stark frowned, someone was calling his name. He opened his mouth to answer only to find that he couldn't get his words out, they were almost stuck in his throat. He groaned but he couldn't even here himself over the sound of hissing coming from something resting on his face, blowing out cool air. Even from the small uneven breaths he took the fresh air provided pleasant relief but it left him confused. He didn't remember asking Jarvis to change to turn up the oxygen levels.

He winced when a loud noise echoed loudly in his ears, what on earth was that irritating beeping sound?

Suddenly a pair of cold fingers were resting gently against the pulse of his neck, Tony blinked away the blurriness and looked up to see a familiar looking head of fuzzy brown hair.

'Br-bruce?' he wheezed, the effort of talking rewarded him with a hammering pain to his chest. Suddenly it was like all the air on the earth had been taken away; he coughed and spluttered, gasping painfully, it felt like his lungs were being squeezed tightly.

'Tony relax, breathe slowly.'

After a few exhausting minutes he managed to catch his breath, he lay against the plump pillows propping him up, panting woozily.

God he felt awful.

He craned his head slightly, glancing around the room until he met Banners gaze.

'Did I get hit by a bus?' he slurred slowly, Bruce forced a small smile.

'You wish.'

Starks gaze wondered around the room, he didn't recognise it at all.

Bruce seemed to see his confusion.

'You're in one of S.H.I.E.L.D's medical facilities,' he explained, pulling a stethoscope from around his neck he pressed it against Tony's chest; Stark fought the urge to wince at the coldness of the metal. He let out another cough and Banner pulled away, wincing at the noise coming from the other man's lungs.

'Do you remember how you got here?'

Stark furrowed his brows in thought; the last thing he remembered was falling asleep on the couch. He had a nightmare, an unpleasant reminder of his past, the next thing he knew he was awake and drowning out of water, with loud panicking voices hissing frantically in his ear.

'I knew you weren't telling me something.'

Fuck.

He couldn't hide it anymore, the game was up; guess he really was sick after all.

'Where's everyone?' he rasped, remembering Steve's worried face right before he passed out.

'I told them to get some sleep,' Bruce spoke softly as he fiddled with a drip bag beside Tony's bedside, 'But it wouldn't surprise me if Steve's still wandering around here somewhere.'

Only when the mechanics eyes followed the wire coming from the bag did he notice the large needle embedded into the crook of his arm; ouch.

'You nearly gave me a heart attack you know that?' the physicist sighed, placing a clipboard down on the bedside table.

'Better luck next time,' he joked, his speech slurred, he pulled a face at the unpleasant stale medical taste the air was leaving in his mouth. He inched his hand closer to his face with the intent of lifting it off when Bruce's hand slapped it away.

'Don't even think about it.'

'I could really use a stiff drink right now,' he panted, speaking so quietly that Bruce barely heard his words.

Stark huffed when a plastic cup of water was offered to him.

'Not really what I had in mind,' he wheezed, resting the mask beneath his chin as he took a small sip of water, he let out a sigh at the pleasant coolness it provided his sore throat. He rested the cup on the table before his body began to shake with more coughs.

He winced at the pain radiating from his chest, his body felt bruised and uncomfortable; he let out a pitiful groan.

'I'm guessing all that coughing is making the reactor aggravate your lungs,' the scientist winced sympathetically; he couldn't even imagine what it felt like to have a large piece of metal irritating your chest. 'Sorry, I didn't really want to give you anything stronger then codeine, I haven't had a chance to speak with Jarvis yet, I wasn't sure of the dosage.'

'I want all of the good stuff baby,' he whined, scowling when Bruce slid the oxygen mask back onto his face.

'I'll see what I can do,' Bruce promised, resting a hand on the other man's shoulder, 'in the meantime you should get some sleep, you look awful.'

'I- I'm not staying here,' Tony rasped drowsily, helplessly trying to push himself out of bed but Bruce gently eased him back down.

'There's no way I'm letting you out of that bed, Pepper would kill me.'

'I w-won't tell anyone,'

'Tony you're sick and you're not going anywhere until we know exactly what's wrong with you, I swear to god I will duct tape you to that bed if I have to,' the doctor sent him a stern look.

'Kinky,' he murmured breathlessly.

Bruce rolled his eyes, by now he was used to Tony's joking defence mechanism.

'Get some sleep Tony,' he smiled 'Doctor's orders.'

Reluctantly Tony did. As much as he hated lying beneath itchy, cheap hospital sheets he couldn't find the energy to move. Each one of his limbs felt heavy, even if he got up when Bruce's back was turned he doubted he would make it past the door. He cursed mentally; it was at times like this Jarvis would be helpful in making an escape plan.

The last thing he saw as his eyes flickered shut before he surrendered to the strong arms of sleep was Bruce's worried face looking down on him.

As he lay against the warm pillows wheezing breathlessly he allowed his eyes to close for a moment. He would just take a short nap, he promised himself; a few hours of sleep and he would be fit enough fly home.

Or so he hoped.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while, forgive me. Work left me tired and full of procrastination, but fear not; I am now fully motivated to continue writing, however long it takes. Thanks for all the review and feedback, I hope the wait was worth an update, enjoy.

The sound of loud footsteps clicking against tiled flooring woke Tony from his dazed slumber.

As he slowly awoke, groggy from his fitful sleep; it became clear that even the small task of waking he found to be pitifully exhausting. He frowned in confusion as his eyes opened sluggishly; he had to pries them open with some effort, it felt as if they were glued shut. Blinking wearily he focused on a blur of red that he saw out of the corner of his eye. It took a moment for his eyesight to adjust to the light and only then did he recognize the familiar figure of a red haired woman perched on a small plastic chair by his bedside.

'Good morning sleeping beauty,' Romanoff smiled teasingly.

Stark frowned at her words.

The philanthropist rarely slept longer than a few hours; to him sleep was a waste of precious time that could be spent doing things more worthwhile; like tinkering in the lab. Obviously what the billionaire had promised himself to be a short power nap had turned into more than a few long hours.

He cursed himself.

Damn he was slacking, judging by the stiffness in his limbs he had been out of it for quite some time; that or he was finally starting to feel like the aging man he was.

Stark snapped himself out of his thoughts and glanced around the room in confusion, what the hell was Romanoff doing in his room?

Surely Jarvis didn't let her in without his permission?

Speaking of Jarvis, the AI hadn't even greeted him when he awoke which was odd.

What the hell was going on?

He shifted in bed with the intention of sitting upright and rudely kicking the assassin out of his room when he was stopped by a bruising pain in his chest. He gritted his teeth at the throbbing sensation that came with each breath he took. He began to panic slightly at the thoughts that were running through his head.

Was the reactor failing? He'd only checked it last week, it couldn't possibly be malfunctioning.

Tony took another breath in an attempt to calm himself.

Calm down you idiot.

'Do you remember where you are?'

Stark could hear Widows voice but he couldn't summon the energy to answer.

He lifted a tired arm to rub an itch on his nose when his hand met something hard. His fingers pulled at something plastic sitting against his face. He pulled at it, squinting at the hissing object in his hand.

It was an oxygen mask.

The elastic tugged the mask back against his face and Stark lay still, breathing in the fresh air. It was only when he felt the cool air hissing against his face that he felt an ounce of recognition as he remembered where he was.

The Hospital.

The mechanic let out a loud groan of annoyance.

He had hoped it had been a bad dream.

'You've been out for two days you know,' Natasha commented, offhandedly.

He raised a brow in surprise.

Two days? Pretty impressive.

So that's why the mechanic felt like shit.

He glanced down at his clothes, wincing at the horrible thin gown he was now dressed in. What had happened to his favourite black shirt and loose fitting jeans? An image of a doctor cutting his clothes off with a pair of scissors entered his mind. Tony would have sighed if he could spare the breath, as if things weren't bad enough having his favourite shirt cut to pieces, Natasha of all people had to be the one sitting with him.

God he probably looked so embarrassingly helpless, lying there with an oxygen mask strapped to his face, wrapped in unfamiliar rough bed sheets that were chaffing against his skin uncomfortably; along with the ugly revealing paper thin gown Tony was pretty sure nothing could embarrass him more.

The whole situation seemed like some sort of bizarre nightmare.

There was no way things could possibly get any worse.

Tony slowly lifted an arm from beneath the bed sheets to scratch an itch by his elbow only to scowl when he realised it was wrapped securely by an inch of medical tape. He eyed the large needle imbedded into his skin with a glare before sighing in frustration and the bruise he noticed surrounding the area.

If he weren't feeling so drained he wouldn't hesitate to rip the offending object from his body, but right now he wasn't sure he would be able to without making himself bleed; he could feel his hands shaking unsteadily.

Apparently It seemed that things could definitely get worse, on top of everything else now he was a human pin cushion.

Unfortunately the sigh made his breath hitch uncomfortably in his lungs and he began coughing fitfully. His chest felt so heavy, it was like someone was straddling him tightly, and not in the sexy way that he would prefer.

'Relax Stark, take it easy;' Natasha stood to her feet; the billionaire could feel the assassins concerned gaze resting on him.

Take it easy?

He had to fight back the urge to laugh, she made it sound so simple.

'You're in the hospital; the doctors said your medication might make you forgetful.'

That explained the strange feeling of déjà vu he had.

He vaguely remembered the last time he woke, feeling anxious and confused, surrounded by strangers in masks and gowns. His memory was hazy; he couldn't remember much more than that.

Maybe it wasn't the medication; maybe he was losing his marbles.

After another minute of panting and gasping deeply into the mask, he had finally somewhat gained control of his breathing. His winced as he lay back against the pillows, panting with exhaustion.

He hadn't felt this bad since he got drunk and trashed the tower at his last birthday party.

Tony lay still for a moment as he caught his breath, closing his eyes he fought off the drowsiness plaguing him while he rested his limbs. When his eyes fluttered open a moment later, the clinking of metal caught his attention as a bowl of something was placed on the table beside him.

He pulled the oxygen mask from his face clumsily, panting slightly.

'What; is that?' he mumbled, pausing for a breath between words.

'Food,' the redhead answered, pushing the table a little closer. 'You should eat something, you look awful.'

Stark took one look at the lumpy pale looking oatmeal in front of him before turning his nose up in disgust. Whatever was in the bowl certainly didn't look edible, besides he wasn't even hungry; he felt his stomach turn just looking at it. Even if he was starving to death there was no way he was touching that stuff; ever.

It was quite degrading really, the billionaire could order anything he wanted from any restaurant in the world and instead he was stuck in a hospital bed staring at a bowl of tasteless oats.

Life could be so unfair.

Stark knew that hospital food was just the beginning of worse things to come; like more needles imbedded in places they shouldn't be. It was a shame really; if he hadn't spent so much time sleeping perhaps he could have crawled halfway home by now.

Pity.

Natasha rolled her eyes at the childish expression on his face.

'You need to eat,' the redhead picked up a spoon and held it out to him.

'What; are you doing here?' Tony probed, batting the spoon away from him with one hand, breathing heavily.

'Do I need a reason to be here Stark?' she asked, smiling with her arms folded.

'Your baby sitting me, aren't you?' he groaned, rolling his eyes.

'Maybe,' she placed the bowl back on the table and pushed it to one side before facing him again. '- or maybe I'm just concerned about you,'

Tony snorted at her words, causing him to start coughing again.

'F-funny,' he rasped, wincing at the tightness around the arc reactor. He eyed some empty plastic drinks cups next to the chair Natasha had been seated in; it looked like she had been watching him for a while.

'De-defiantly babysitting,' he wheezed.

Natasha reached out for the water pitcher on the table and handed him a glass, he took it with a shaky hand, eyeing the water in suspicion; the assassin rolled her eyes.

'Just drink it Stark, if I wanted to kill you I would have done it more creatively,' she smiled playfully.

Despite her smile Tony didn't doubt it, when the pair had first crossed paths he had been a complete asshole, the assassin had probably thought of as least 20 different ways to kill him since they first met. Hopefully after the battle in New York he had redeemed himself just enough to not get murdered in his sleep.

The mechanic took a small sip of stale water before screwing up his face in distaste.

'I w-want coffee,' he whined, panting slightly.

'Sorry, Coffee's off the menu,' she smiled, 'Doctors orders.'

'Get some sleep Tony, doctors orders.'

De ja vu again.

Speaking of Doctors that reminded him, where was Bruce?

The last thing he remembered was the scientist hovering above him in a white lab coat, fussing over the many tubes and wires attached to his body.

'Where's Bruce?' he rasped, finishing the glass of water threw the empty polystyrene cup on the table weakly before attempting to sit up. He could feel his back aching with stiffness; he needed to move before his limbs seized up completely.

It took every ounce of energy left in his body to push himself upright, when he did his gown slipped down his chest, revealing the top of the arc reactor. He pulled the fabric back up hastily to cover its glow. He ignored Widow's eyes on him as he did so, the light was still visible through the thin material but he felt a little better for covering it, he hated the reactor being on show, especially around anyone other than Pepper.

It almost made him feel naked.

'He's in the canteen if he knows what's good for him.'

Stark looked at her in bewilderment.

'I kicked him out, told him to get some food and rest; he hasn't left since you were brought in you know.'

Before he could say anything Natasha was on her feet and by the door.

'I'll be right back, don't go anywhere,' she joked, leaving Stark in his own company.

Don't go anywhere.

'Hilarious,' he muttered to himself.

Now he was alone Tony took a moment to look around the small room he was cooped up in.

No, not cooped in, more like imprisoned.

The room was unsurprisingly bare, there was a sink in corner and some cheap looking curtains around his bed, the room was plain but functional, he wouldn't expect anything more from a shield facility. Out of everything the locked door was what drew his attention. From what he could see there was an electronic lock on the outside, only someone with a security card could get in. Oh the perks of being at the top of the social ladder.

He eyed the inside of the door panel carefully, smiling when he noticed a simple door handle. You only needed a card to get in, not to get out.

Now that Romanoff was finally gone, now was as good time as any to bust himself out of this joint. He shuddered at the feeling of his bare legs against the mattress, he wasn't going anywhere without his clothes. He frowned and glanced around the room in search of his jeans and destroyed t-shirt, they couldn't be too far away right?

Unfortunately he'd barley swung his legs over the side of the bed before he heard the door click open.

God damn it.

'Don't even think about.'

He'd heard those words before.

Suddenly Bruce appeared in front of him, glaring in disapproval.

'This isn't w-what it looks like,' he wheezed, trying not to look like a dear caught in the headlights.

Bruce eyed him with amusement.

'Oh really, you mean you aren't trying to leave?'

'J-just ugh, stretching my legs you know?' he coughed lightly, waving his hand in dismissal when he saw Bruce watching him with concern.

'Nothing like a, r-run to start the day right?' he coughed again, this time giving in to pride and reaching for the oxygen mask he'd dumped on the bed behind him.

'You, are not running anywhere for quite some time,' Bruce sighed, pushing Tony gently by the shoulder until he was lying back down.

The pair were both silent for a moment, the only sound that could be heard was the hissing of an oxygen canister and the horrible wheezing of the billionaire trying to catch his breath, the doctor winced at the noise.

He sounded like a fish out of water.

'How are you feeling?' he asked, eyeing the man's pale complexion.

Stark rolled his eyes dramatically when he caught him staring.

'Don't pretend you care,' he smiled, breathing deeply; 'you didn't even bring me flowers you a-asshole' he teased, coughing.

'You're right, sorry; I didn't get you flowers,'

Banner shrugged, smiling slyly before reaching a hand into his jacket pocket.

'But, I got you something much better,' the scientist pulled something small from his pocket, and Tony almost cried with joy when he saw the device sitting in the palm of his hand.

To anyone one else it appeared to be a normal ear piece, but Tony knew better. It wasn't just any wireless ear piece; it was the one he built specially to connect with Jarvis.

'Banner, I could kiss you right now,' he wheezed, fingers twitching eagerly.

'I'd rather you didn't,' Banner rolled his eyes before taking on an edge of seriousness.

'I'm pretty sure your heart can't handle anything too strenuous right now, I'm not even sure I should be giving you this.'

'Gimmie!'

'Are you going to behave?'

Stark squinted at Banner like a petulant child.

'C'mon Bruce,' Tony wheezed, whining. Seeing his tech in the other man's hand was like waving a carrot in front of a donkey's nose.

'Have mercy.'

'If I even see one of your toes move from that bed, you're in trouble,' he warned, before dropping the tech into Stark's.

As soon as it landed in the palm of his hand, he hooked it over his ear lobe and flicked the switch, breathing a sigh of relief when the familiar voice of his AI greeted him.

'Good morning sir.'

'J, buddy; it is so good to h-hear your voice,' he grinned, speaking hoarsely.

'And you sir, as always.'

'Fill me in J, how are the kids?'

'I must warn you Sir, Dummy has become rather rebellious during your absence, I'm afraid he has decided to redecorate the guest lounge.'

'Probably better if I don't ask,' he rasped.

'Indeed sir.'

Tony hissed as Banner fiddled with the tape around his arm.

'I have not yet been able to successfully contact Miss Potts about your hospital admission, though I will keep trying.'

's'not a bad thing,' he muttered, he couldn't imagine how Pepper would react to him being sick. Juggling a big work load along with the press conference in Japan, worrying about him being was the last thing she needed right now.

He attention altered from the AI and back to Bruce when he noticed he stopped fiddling.

The billionaire interrupted Bruce's intense gazing at one of the monitors behind him.

'Give it to me straight doc,' he croaked, 'will I live?'

He expected to be met with the usual shake of the head and a small smile, but Bruce's expression remained stern.

'That's not funny Tony,'

Before he could come up with an answer Stark's breath caught in his throat as he was plagued with another shaking cough.

Just as his eyes stopped watering he was met with Bruce's worried gaze again.

'Why didn't you tell me you were feeling sick?'

'I feel like shit all the time, didn't really notice,' he answered honestly, coughing into the crook of his arm.

It wasn't a lie.

Having an arc rector sitting permanently in your chest was definitely not one of the most comfortable feelings in the world. The muscles around the metal always ached and throbbed, leaving the billionaire feeling permanently grouchy and sluggish, after all the years he'd had the damn thing he still couldn't differentiate sickness from the normal aches and pains.

Bruce let out a sigh, pulling his glasses from his face he pocketed them before pulling up a chair next to Tony's bed.

'We're still running a few more tests but we're pretty sure you have the early stages of bronchitis,' Bruce slouched in his chair 'but you probably already guessed that.'

The scientist stilled for a moment, he eyes lingered on the arc reactor for a moment before turning back to his friend.

'Hopefully we've caught it early enough to treat, but with the arc reactor; and your weakened immune system…'

Bruce paused, choosing his words carefully.

'There's a high chance it could develop into pneumonia.'

Tony didn't speak, his expression remained vacant and he continued wheezing.

'Tony I know how important the reactor is, but if you catch pneumonia-'

'It'll kill me right?' he finished Bruce's words.

He glanced at the scientist as he nodded in conformation.

'It wouldn't be the first time this things tried to take me down,' his breath hitched as he gestured coolly towards the beam of light radiating from his chest.

'Tony, this is serious.'

'The thing that's-,' the billionaire paused to wheeze, 'k-keeping me alive, s'tryin to finish me off?' he smiled bitterly, 'just my luck huh?'

Bruce rubbed the bridge of his nose tiredly, deep in thought.

'Have you ever considered surgery to remove the shrapnel?' he asked tentatively, though he suspected he already knew the answer.

'Not gonna happen,' Tony rasped.

'Tony I know the risk of removing it is huge, but if we remove the reactor, it'll take all the strain off your heart and your lungs.'

'Not gonna happen B-bruce.'

Tony was too tired to argue with his lab partner, if he was in peak condition he would have rambled on and on until Bruce gave in and left the room, instead he was forced to lay there and take in his words. He knew he was in denial, for years he'd known that removing the shrapnel and the reactor would be the only way he was guaranteed to live a long life, but somehow he couldn't bring himself to care.

After the terror of Afganistan and New York, he just wanted a break.

Some peace and quiet.

Maybe this was finally his chance to get it, to leave behind the stress and disappointment his footprint had left on the world and just drift away.

No more wars, no more nightmares; just bliss.

Bruce stood to his feet; Tony could see his fists shaking by his sides with repressed emotion.

'Tony you can't, that- that's suicide!'

There was a short paused before Tony pulled the oxygen mask from his face, looking Bruce straight in the eyes.

'So is taking it out,' he slurred.

'Tony what would Pepper say if she heard you like this?'

'Don't try and guilt trip me,' the mechanic hissed angrily, chest rattling painfully with every word he spoke. He was vaguely aware of the heart monitor to his left spiking briefly before settling down as he calmed his breaths.

'You should get some rest.'

Gone was the anger is Bruce's eye's, now they were filled with gloom and dejection. He turned away from the bed and bee lined for the doorway.

If Tony wasn't so exhausted he probably would have tried to stop him, he stared up at the ceiling drowsily, willing for the drugs and painkillers to send him back into a drowsy sleep.

Banner paused in the doorway, looking back at the billionaire over his shoulder; concern etched onto his face.

'You know I'm not going to let you give up like this.'

He didn't wait for a reply before he closed the door behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts?
> 
> I rewrote the chapter twice before I decided on the emotional twist at the end, I hope this sets things up a bit more for whats to come. (I'm still proof reading so forgive any mistakes.)


End file.
